Automatic quenching apparatus



June 3, 1941. s, DENNEEN ETAL 2,244,056

AUTOIATIC QUENCHING APPARATUS Filed lay '27, 1940 iNVENTORfi v Fig-4 /%M Patented June 3, 1941 AUTOMATIC QUENCHING APPARATUS Francis 8. Denneen, Cleveland, and William 0. Dunn, Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignors to The Ohio Crankshaft Company, Cl

corporation of Ohio Ohio, a

Application May 27, 1940, Serial No. 33132:

Claims. (c1. 26H) The present application is a continuation in part of our co-pending application for Apparatus for progressive heat treatment, Serial No. 745,194 filed September 24, 1934, and renewed November 9, 1938, now Patent No. 2,202,758, issued May 28,

gressivc heat treatment of metallic articles. The former application describes quenching means which follow the heating means at the correct interval of time and space. When it is not possible for the heating means to pass entirely over or across the entire area to be treated, this means must be stopped usually after traveling as far as-possible, and heating must continue for a period to bring all of the area to the correct temperature. Since any separate quenching member following the heating member is prevented from moving far enough to quench the last region heated and time does not permit to transfer to any other position, means. must be provided to quench this region while the heater is in embracing relation with the said region. The presence of a heater of usual form prevents an emcient application of quench. Further, it is usually necessary to cool the heating means during the heating period to prevent a harmful rise of temperature therein. The heater must, therefore, comprise both cooling means for the heater itself and quenching means for the article being tested.' Such heater construction is found to be advantageous also in many cases where there is no progressive heat treatment.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to provide a dual purpose unit adapted to both heat and quench an article to be heat treated. A further object is to provide means for automatically applying the quench at a predetermined instant. An additional object is to provide a heating unit adapted to progressively heat one surface and at a predetermined position heat another adjacent surface. object is to provide a combined heating and quenching unit which can be readily cooled during heating.

While in the accompanying drawing and speciiicatio'n we have illustrated and described our invention as applied to certain purposes, we do not limit ourselves to the constructions shown and described. From the disclosureherein, obviously, many modifications and other uses would readily suggest themselves-to those skilled in the art.

In the annexed drawing:

Hg. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on Another- 1940, and is directed to apparatus for the proline l-l of Fig. 2, showing the preferred form of our invention.

Fig. 2 is a section substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section substantially on line H of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. l, but showing another form of our invention.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate means i'or using the quenching chamber of the inductor as a cooling jacket. In this, the annular space I l, which is ordinarily the quenching chamber only, carries the fluid which serves for both cooling and quenching. During the heating and idle intervals, this fluid circulates under relatively low pressure. At the instant quenching is required, this pressure is suddenly increased by any suitable means, such as by closing outlet valve II, and spray valves II, which are as numerous as necessary and which assume a variety of forms, and which are held .closed normally by resilient means such as by springs ll, quickly open spraying large quantities of quenching fluid onto the heated surface of the cylinder II and cooling it very suddenly. The cooling and quenching fluid is carried to the inductor by the supply pipe I! and, during the heating interval, in which the fluid serves only as a cooling agent, this fluid is discharged from the inductor chamber ii thru pipe I! and valve II. A band or scrim of removable plates ll are provided to facilitate the assembly of the valves and their springs I4 and spring seats i0.

The work adjacent part of the inductor assumes various forms depending upon the type of article being heated. In the one illustrated, an enlarged part 20 is provided adjacent to the shoulder or step 2| of the article II to heat the surface zone of this shoulder. Quenching fluid is discharged directly against this shoulder from orifices such as II in the adjacent wall of the inductor when a large amount of quenching is required. Ordinarily the form of valve II and its seat in the face of the inductor is such as to direct sufllcient quenching fluid against any such shoulder or step, the spray being directed along the conical seat shown. Current is usually.

supplied to the inductor, from a suitable transformer thru suitable conductors which may be I the piping for the cooling and quenching fluid.

When a hollow helical inductor is employed, as is illustrated at 26 in Fig. 4, quenching is accomplished by suddenly in the pressure of the cooling fluid in the inductor which causes a seam extending helically along its inner periphery as at 21 to open and permits this cooling fluid to be projected against the heated surface of article 28 quenching it rapidly. The walls, such as 29, which deflect to open the seam are supported in some cases by resilient elements such as soft rubber members 30 having asbestos edges 30 to shield the rubber elements from the heat reflected from the hot surface of article 28. The quenching provided by the opening seam, in some cases, is supplemented by cold fluid which is projected from nozzles 35 between the coils of the helix and at points not occupied by the resilient supports 30. These nozzles are conveniently carried by the means employed for supporting and moving the helical conductor.

The means for supplying current to inductor 28 and the means for increasing the pressure therein to deflect the side of'the inductor and open the seam to permit the cooling fluid to escape and quench the article 28 are substantially the same as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this case, however, the piping at 32 and 33 for the cooling and quenching fluid serves as current supply connections from the transformer 34.

Other modes of applying the principle of our invention may be employed instead of the ones explained, change being made as regards the means herein disclosed, provided those stated by any of the following claims or their equivalents be employed.

We, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention: 1. In apparatus for hardening a surface zone of an article adapted to be hardened by heating' and quenching, a heater having a part adapted to lie adjacent to a surface of the article means for supplying energy to said heater, a channel in said heater for circulating a fluid to cool the heater, a passage from the channel through the article adjacent part of the heater for I a flow of cooling fluid, closure means for said passage, the closure means comprising a resilient element, and means to increase fluid pressure in'the aforesaid channel to deflect the resilient element and open the passage to permit the fluid to flow from the channel onto the adjacent surface of the article to harden the aforesaid surface zone.

2. In apparatus for hardening a surface zone of an article, the said zone being adapted to be hardened by heating and quenching, a conductor having apart adapted to lie adjacent to a surface of the article, means for supplying periodically varying current to the conductor to induce heating current in the surface zone, a channel in said conductor for circulating a fluid to cool the conductor, a passage from the channel through the article adjacent part of the con; ductor for a flow of cooling fluid, closure means for said passage, the closure means comprising a resilient element, and means to increase fluid pressure in the aforesaid channel todeflect the resilient element and open the passage to permit the fluid to flow from the channel onto the adjacent surface of the article to harden the aforesaid surface zone.

3. In apparatus forhardening a surface zone of an article, the said zone being adapted'to be hardened -by heating and quenching, a conductor having a part adapted to lie adjacent to a surface of the article, means for supplying periodically varying current to the conductor to induce heating current in the surface zone, a channel in said conductor for circulating a fluid to cool the conductor, a passage from the channel through the article adjacent part of the conductor for a flow of cooling fluid, closure means for said passage, means to increase fluid pressure in the channel to overcome the closure means and to open the passage to permit the fluid to flow from the channel onto the adjacent surface of the article to harden the aforesaid surface zone.

4. In apparatus for hardening intersecting surface zones of an article, the surface zones being adapted to be hardened by heating and quenching, a conductor having a part adapted to lie adjacent to the surface zones, means for supplying periodically varying current to the conductor to induce heating current in the surface zones, a channel in said conductor for circulating a fluid to cool the conductor, a passage from the channel through the article adjacent part of the conductor for a flow of cooling fluid, closure means for the passage and means to increase fluid pressure in the channel to overcome the closure means and open the passage to permit the fluid to flow from the channel onto the article, the passage being formed to direct the fluid simultaneously onto the intersecting surfaces to harden the surface zones.

5. In apparatus for hardening a surface zone of an article, the said zone being adapted to be hardened by heating and quenching, a hollow helical conductor having a part adapted to lie adjacent to the surface zone, means for supplying periodically varying current to the conductor to induce heating current in the surface zone, means for circulating cooling fluid thru the conductor to cool the conductor, the conductor having an openable passage, means for increasing fluid pressure in the conductor to open the passage to permit a part of the fluid to'flow onto a surface of the article to quench the surface zone.

FRANCIS S. DENNEEN. WILLIAM C. DUNN. 

